


Eight Down One to Go

by EmilliaGryphon



Series: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power One Shots and Flash Fics [3]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Attempted Murder, Catra Angst, Comforting, Death, Emotions, Enemies to Friends, Gen, Hair stroking, Hands, Hurt/Comfort, I'm confused, Killing, Kinda, Magic, Missing Scene, To lovers?, angry, but she is still angry, catra has hit rock bottom, destiny part 2, glimmer angst, glimmer is there for her, hurting, inner conflict, is it glimtra, or glimmtra, or glitra, shera season 4, there will be more of these glimmer/catra fics, warmth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:34:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26220490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmilliaGryphon/pseuds/EmilliaGryphon
Summary: "What are you waiting for? Do it."What if Glimmer actually did...?Can be read as romantic or platonic or somewhere in between.
Relationships: Catra & Glimmer, Glimmer & Catra, Glimmer/Catra, Glimmtra, Glimtra - Relationship
Series: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power One Shots and Flash Fics [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1854139
Comments: 2
Kudos: 80





	Eight Down One to Go

**Author's Note:**

> Based off the fact that Noelle Stevenson has mentioned that Catra has nine lives. A missing scene wherein Glimmer confront's Catra after her fight with Hordak.  
> \---  
> I ride or die for Catradora but I am also falling hard and fast for Glimmtra.

_ Pain, throbbing, pain.  _ Different from Shadow Weaver’s electric fiery magic that was all sharp and jagged through her limbs, setting her insides on fire. Sitting here, clutching her gut, trying to stifle her breathing, Catra’s body thrummed with aching. Her head fuzzy. The smell of her fur burning mixed with the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. 

_ Lost. _

_ She’d lost.  _

_ Double trouble was right. They’d always been right. She drove them away. Drove Adora and Scorpia away. Shadow Weaver was right.  _

Catra laughed to herself, and gasped with agony, clutching her side as it spasmed. 

Her vision faded in and out, the fire of a forge she had destroyed in her fight with Hordak still blazed brilliantly. Somewhere amid the rubble, Catra wondered if the former leader of the Horde was still alive. 

_ But it didn’t really matter did it? _

_ She wouldn’t be alive much longer either.  _

She knew the feeling, knew the sinking sensation that would consume her before everything began to fade away. 

_ Fade away… _

“Looks like you wanted all my attention for yourself,” that voice. Catra’s ears twitched. She knew that voice. Recognized it from somewhere. 

_ Sparkles, _

Why couldn't’ the world just let her succumb to her injuries in peace? If she had the energy she’d be furious about it. But she wasn't, she was too tired. Every breath was an effort sending more biting misery through her chest. Catra looked up, peering through heavy lids and the cloudiness of her vision to see the sparkly princess standing over her, defiant and ready to fight. A staff in her clenched grip, pointed threateningly at Catra’s face. 

“What are you waiting for? Do it.” 

Sparkles winced, her eyes narrowing but she made no move to strike Catra down. Instead the princess of BrightMoon only frowned, lips parting as if to speak. 

Catra had seen that look before. Pity. It sparked a rage in her more ferocious than the burns covering her body. Holding her breath and bracing for the agony, Catra seized the end of Glimmer’s staff in her grip, bringing it to her neck until the cool curved pink steal brushed her skin. 

“Do it! Do it so it so Adora doesn't."

_ Adora, _

Tears bubbled to the surface of her eyes. She tried to blink them away, the smoke getting in her eyes. 

She could handle Glimmer killing her, dealing the final blow but not Adora. Never Adroa. 

“Catra,” Glimmer whispered, bewildered. The princess was shaking, Catra could smell her apprehension. “I….I don’t want to...the Princess Alliance will decide what happens to you!” Catra managed a smirk, still holding the staff to her neck. 

“Go on, do it. You know you want to.” 

“I don’t want to kill you Catra!” Glimmer screamed, though it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself. 

“Y...es you do,” Catra breathed. It would be soon, any minute now. Her head lolled no matter how hard she tried to keep her eyes on Sparkles. Those pink and grey eyes. Teaming with indecision. Mercy and vengeance. Violence and benevolence. Impulse and reservation. Maybe they weren’t so unalike after all. 

“D...do it Sparkes. You want to do it. You always have. E..ever since you captured me..” Catra could still remember that day, Glimmer pinning her against a tree, a ball of magic forming in her palm. “I...isn’t ...t..this w...what Shadow Weaver...t...trained you for?”

Glimmer bit her lip, averting her eyes down the filthy floor. 

“I’m not Shadow Weaver.” 

Catra coughed, blood sprinkling onto her teeth and leaking from her lips. Her own hands were shaking now. Head hammering. She took a deep shaking breath, it pinched her ribs from within making her choke on her coughs. 

“Catra I…” Glimmer’s voice cracked.

“I said DO IT!” 

Catra jerked the staff forward, pink magic bubbled and fizzed, there was heat, shimmering sparkles covered her vision blasted forward, engulfing her with jittering, white heat. 

Someone was screaming. Whether it was Sparkles, or herself she could not tell. 

The last thing she heard was someone shouting her name. 

\--

The first thing she heard was someone shouting her name.

"Catra!"

_ Adora?  _

Warm fingers were holding either side of her face, gently, urgently. Catra fumbled, reaching upward to touch whatever hand was against her face. Grounding her to reality, bringing her back from that infinite darkness she dreaded each time she…

_ Those hands, they were so warm...so soft...so needed.  _

“Catra! Catra wake up please! I didn’t mean to...I didn’t really want to...how am I going to explain this to Adora?!”

_ Sparkles?! _

Catra dropped her hand from Glimmer’s, hissing with eyes flying open. She was lying on the ground now, her body impossibly more fatigued than before. Glimmer looked down at her stricken with a mixture of guilt and worry. 

They stared at each other. Glimmer’s remaining hand was still holding the back of Catra’s head, supportive and steady, her fingers through Catra’s hair. Her other hand was holding Catra’s. Despite the panicked startle, Glimmer still held her. Catra panted, trying to get her breath back, looking up into those large eyes. Besides Adora...and Scorpia...no one had cared for her well-being. But here was Sparkles, looking at her full of fret. 

“Y...you were de...dead!” Glimmer squeaked, her grip on Catra’s hand tightening. “I… I couldn’t make out a pulse!”

Catra allowed herself to lie there, feeling the princess’s steady hold. Her eyes shut again with exhaustion, but breathing wasn’t as painful.

“N...Nine lives Sparkles. Eight down...one more to go. Want to try again?” 

Glimmer’s eyes hardened, her hand dropped and Catra cursed as the back of her head smacked against the ground. 

“I don’t want to kill you Catra! I just wanted to...I don’t know maybe...make you hurt...hurt the way you hurt me, the way you hurt Adora!” Her pink grey eyes shimmered with angry tears of her own. Catra couldn’t argue with that. She propped herself up on her trembling arms. Looking around at the smoldering destruction. She smiled, placing her hand on top of Glimmer’s.

“Looks like we’re both alone Sparkles.”


End file.
